For example, when small parts such as screws are bagged, the images of articles in required packaging units are picked up by a CCD camera or the like and the number of articles is counted and packaged, as disclosed in published unexamined Japanese patent application Hei 2-59888.
However, according to this prior art, since after the number of articles as the packaging unit is counted, the feeding operation of the article feed unit is stopped for packaging purpose, there is a probability that articles fed by the article feed unit will be packaged even after the predetermined number of articles is counted. In order to prevent such situation, after articles close in number to the packaging unit are counted, one or a few of articles are required to be fed until the final packaging unit is reached.
According to the present invention, sets of articles smaller in number than the packaging unit are conveyed in a recirculating manner and a combination of sets of articles is performed to collect articles at a discharge position on the conveyance passageway to package articles in the required packaging units to eliminate a time for fine adjustment of feeding articles in units of one or a few articles after articles of a number close to the packaging unit are counted in order to obtain articles of a required packaging unit.
The present invention is intended to temporarily accommodate the collected articles to successively obtain articles in a required packaging unit.
The present invention is intended to feed any quantity of articles less than a packaging unit, perform a combination of uneven quantities of already accommodated articles and the fed number of articles to provide a required target quantity of articles. Even if a combination of ones of the plurality of discharge means is obtained, the articles are discharged at the same discharge position in order to reduce the collection time.
The conventional device catches falling small articles using CCD cameras for counting purposes. In that case, some of the falling articles fall in overlapping relationship and are counted as one, which is a problem in the packaging of articles which requires accuracy.
The present invention is intended to count the correct number of feed articles by scattering the articles.
The present invention scatters the fed articles and counts the articles before and after the scattering to obtain a more accurate number of articles.
In order to obtain a target weight of articles from sets of articles each set being different in weight from another set, there is a measuring device which measures the respective weights of sets of articles fed to measuring hoppers, combines and adds any two of sets of articles different in measured value to obtain a set of articles of a predetermined weight or close to same.
In order to measure a weight of articles close to a target weight to provide a required target weight of articles, the present invention is intended to eliminate a time for fine adjustment of feeding articles in units of one or several articles. In order to collect articles such as small screws, nails, granular or powder-like medicine, pet foods or sets of uneven articles to provide a required target weight of articles, the present invention measures any individual quantities of sets of articles less in weight than a target weight, conveys in a recirculating manner the respective measured sets of articles as a unit, performs a combining operation on any sets of articles, collects satisfactory combined sets of articles at a discharge position on the conveyance way to successively obtain sets of articles in required units of packaging.